President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended on Monday (18) oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin as a matter of national sovereignty, citing US President Donald Trump's expansionism. "Soon Trump will think it's his and go there. He thought Canada was his, he thought Greenland was his. Who guarantees he won't say the Equatorial Margin is his too?", Lula said during a visit to the Paulínia Refinery (SP), according to Agência Brasil. ✓
Press quotes (1)
"Daqui a pouco o Trump [presidente dos Estados Unidos] acha que é dele e vai lá. Ele [Trump] achou que o Canadá era dele, ele achou que a Groenlândia era dele. Ele achou que o Golfo do México era dele. Quem garante que ele não vá dizer que a Margem Equatorial é dele também?"
The region already has environmental licensing underway — Petrobras obtained IBAMA authorization in October 2025 to begin exploratory research in block FZA-M-059, 175 km off the Amapá coast and 500 km from the Amazon river mouth. The license came after two years of processing that included three public hearings, 65 technical meetings in over 20 municipalities in Pará and Amapá, and cost Petrobras R$ 4 million per day during the wait, according to company data reported by Agência Brasil. ✓
Press quotes (2)
"De acordo com a Petrobras, a sonda exploratória se encontra na região do bloco FZA-M-059 e a perfuração está prevista para começar "imediatamente". O poço fica em águas profundas do Amapá, a 175 quilômetros da costa e a 500 quilômetros da foz do rio Amazonas"
"Segundo a Petrobras, a espera pela licença de exploração custou R$ 4 milhões por dia à empresa"
ANP estimates the Equatorial Margin has resources of about 30 billion barrels of oil equivalent — comparable to the Buzios Field (29.9 billion), according to a Brazilian Petroleum Institute document. The initial licensing had been denied by IBAMA in May 2023 due to "technical inconsistencies", but was approved after "significant improvement" of the project, especially in emergency response structure. ✓
Press quotes (2)
"Segundo estimativas da Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis, o volume de recursos de O&G é de cerca de 30 bilhões de barris de óleo equivalente. [...] Volume de petróleo – em bilhões de barris [...] Margem Equatorial* 30, Campo de Buzios 29,9"
"Em maio de 2023, o Ibama chegou a negar a licença para a área chamada de Bacia da Foz do Amazonas"
Indigenous communities, environmentalists, quilombolas and fishermen are preparing legal action against the license, according to CBN from October 2025. Oiapoque communities had warned in public meetings that "strong tides could bring spills into their lands" and that "helicopter traffic would disrupt nature and way of life", according to The Bureau Investigates reporting. ✓
Press quotes (2)
"Organizações ambientalistas, indígenas, quilombolas e de pescadores devem apresentar até o fim da semana uma ação judicial contra a licença concedida pelo Ibama"
"Indigenous communities in Oiapoque, in the north of the Brazilian Amazon, had long made clear their concerns about the project. In public meetings and in communications with local politicians, they had warned that strong tides could bring a spill into their lands, and that overhead helicopters would disrupt nature and their way of life"
Lula defended Equatorial Margin exploration citing Trump's expansionism as sovereignty justification
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (2)
IBAMA required construction of second fauna care center in Oiapoque as condition for license approval
Licensing process involved 65 sectoral technical meetings in over 20 municipalities and evaluation with over 400 people
-
What is the specific timeline for drilling to begin in block FZA-M-059?
Why it's still unknown: Petrobras said drilling would start 'immediately' after the October 2025 license, but there is no specific confirmed date for operations to begin seven months later
Did not cover: Veja -
What specific Trump energy policies was Lula comparing to Brazilian exploration?
Why it's still unknown: The president cited Trump's territorial expansionism, but did not specify which American offshore exploration policies served as a parallel
-
What is the current status of the legal action announced by indigenous and environmental organizations?
Why it's still unknown: CBN reported in October 2025 that the action would be filed 'by the end of the week', but there is no information about whether it was filed or its progress